RALEIGH, N.C., May 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Hurricane season begins June 1,
and experts predict 2006 will be active. Progress Energy Carolinas is
prepared, with lessons learned during the 2005 season, which brought with
it some of the most powerful and destructive hurricanes in history.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020923/CHM008LOGO-c)
Progress Energy has a detailed plan in place to activate employees
directly involved with power restoration and mobilize thousands of other
employees who have storm-specific duties. Employees perform a variety of
jobs during storms, from arranging staging and logistical details to
assessing storm damage, answering customer calls, designing engineering
plans for repairs and reconstruction and, most visibly, repairing damage
and restoring power throughout the company's 34,000-square-mile service
area.
Progress Energy customers who lose power should call the 24-hour
automated outage line at 800-419-6356. This service provides the same
information available from our customer service associates and is the
fastest way to report a power outage. This technology also offers an option
to allow customers to receive a call when new information becomes available
regarding power restoration.
This state-of-the-art technology helped Progress Energy answer more
than 2.1 million phone calls during the busy 2004 hurricane season. It is
also capable of taking more than 125,000 calls per hour during widespread
outages. Law enforcement and emergency agencies ask that customers not call
local 911 emergency services to report power outages, unless the outage
involves a downed power line that could cause injuries.
While the 2005 hurricane season was relatively quiet along the
Carolinas coast, it was very active elsewhere, and provided numerous
opportunities for Progress Energy to refine its storm plan in responding to
large-scale storms in Louisiana and Texas.
For its role in aiding companies and citizens in the Gulf Coast region
after the devastating 2005 hurricanes, Progress Energy won the Edison
Electric Institute (EEI) Emergency Assistance Award. Progress Energy is no
stranger to EEI honors, having earned the Emergency Response Award (for
response to storms within the company's service area) a record five times
in the program's eight- year history. Progress Energy took home that honor
in 1998 (for Hurricane Bonnie), 1999 (Hurricane Floyd), 2000 (January
storm), 2002 (December ice storm) and again after the record 2004 hurricane
season in Florida.
The company uses each storm restoration as an opportunity to make
improvements in storm restoration, from pre-storm communication and
preparation to damage assessments and repairs.
"We know that living in the Carolinas means the threat of major storms,
and we drill and prepare throughout the year to provide the safest, fastest
response possible for our 1.4 million customers if and when that response
is needed," said Lee Mazzocchi, system storm coordinator. "Of course, it's
also important for our customers to be prepared for storm season, and we
encourage customers to make those hurricane plans now."
Progress Energy offers these tips to prepare for a storm:
- Check supplies and make sure you have the following items: portable
radio with fresh batteries, flashlight, candles or lamps, matches,
first aid kit, canned or packaged food that can be prepared without
cooking or refrigeration, several days' supply of drinking water, a
full tank of gas in your car and cash.
- Put important papers in watertight containers (take them with you if
you evacuate).
- If you know someone who relies on electric-powered life-support
equipment, be prepared to move that person to a facility outside of the
storm's projected path to avoid the risk of an extended power outage.
- Call Progress Energy at 800-419-6356 to report a power outage.
For additional storm safety tips, visit the Progress Energy Web site at
http://www.progress-energy.com/storm.
Progress Energy (NYSE: PGN), headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., is a
Fortune 250 diversified energy company with more than 24,000 megawatts of
generation capacity and $10 billion in annual revenues. The company's
holdings include two electric utilities serving approximately 3 million
customers in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida. Progress Energy
also includes nonregulated operations covering energy marketing and natural
gas exploration. Progress Energy was the 2005 recipient of the prestigious
J.D. Power and Associates Founder's Award for dedication, commitment and
sustained improvement in customer service. For more information about
Progress Energy, visit the company's Web site at
http://www.progress-energy.com.
SOURCE Progress Energy
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Related links:
http://www.progress-energy.com
http://www.progress-energy.com/storm
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CONTACT:
Media for Progress Energy, +1-877-641-6397,
or +1-919-546-6189
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